By Frank Meke .
Akwa Ibom, the mangrove and fishing port , east of the Nigerian Atlantic Ocean, is turning heads, ears, and hearts to its diverse cultural tourism opportunities and gunning to redefine the tourism traffic into and around Nigeria.
May 21st, this year, history will be made in the capital city of Akwa Ibom, Uyo, with top industry influencers, government officials, and the media, all confirmed to converge here not just for the council meeting of industry’s private sector umbrella body, the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria ( ftan) but to endorse the state as the new cultural tourism capital of Nigeria.
The state governor, Pastor Umo Eno, whose “Arise Akwa Ibom” sociopolitical and cultural tourism mantra has strategically influenced and repositioned the state in the eyes of local and international investors, will celebrate his second anniversary,showing off his great milestones in tourism infrastructure and other key drivers of the business to the visiting ftan delegates and other invitees.
Governor Umo Eno, a seasoned industry practitioner and his commissioner for tourism, will line up peacock cultural tourism projects from the oron maritime terminal and recreation hub, the Arise Theme Park, Uyo international conference centre and other critical road infrastructure linking and connecting key historical sites in the state.
Apart from the 25 billion naira budget earmarked for these interventions, those close to the thinking of the governor believe that the record budget considerations is an intentional and delibrarete support for the Arise Akwa Ibom state tourism revival agenda and a critical funding boost to convince local and international investors that the game of tourism development has changed for good, for state and exemplary to influence Abuja.
Nkereweum Onung, President of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria ( ftan) and the governor umo Eno special tourism adviser, is upbeat that UYO would make a strong cultural tourism statement during the ftan council confab. ..
The minister of culture and tourism, Hannatu Musa Musawa, is on the card as an invitee and also the Director General, National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism, Aare Abisoye Fagade who is expected to address the gathering, particularly with an arm of the hospital sub group in the Federation, up in confusion over the regulatory mandate of the industry regulatory agency.
Madam minister Hannatu Musa Musawa, except she fails to attend the meeting, will be opportuned to meet the critical industry influencers , weeks after her failed stakeholders summit in lagos, boycotted by the leadership and members of the Federation.
I will be there, and so are the influential Nigerian tourism press . While I will push for a change in Nigeria tourism capital to Akwa Ibom, I will also readily take unguided trips round the state to reconnect and rediscover some of the best culinary offerings the state of ” Arise” is noted for.
The excitement is in the air, and it’s no jamboree. The industry traffic to Akwa Ibom is timely and heartwarming and holds the potential to trigger off serious industry growth and development milestones across the country and the west coast of Africa . Though there are sniffing noise from some states beating drums passed off as tourism economy, Akwa Ibom, possibly with the Arise tourism agenda, may wake up Nigeria from the dementia of tourism development and promotion lethargy.
